Tougher building codes equate to more relief funds under bill before Congress

The Safe Building Codes Incentives Act, which is pending in Congress, would offer an extra 4 percent in federal disaster grants to states that adopt strong building codes, potentially lessening disaster damage. (File photo)

WASHINGTON -- By mandating strict building codes, states would become eligible for more relief money after hurricanes and other major disasters, under a bill pending in Congress.

At present, codes in Alabama and 33 other states do not go far enough to allow them to qualify, according to Ruth Guerra, a spokeswoman for the bill's sponsor, Rep. Mario Diaz-Balart, R-Fla. Nor is Alabama among 15 states that could become eligible by making minor changes to the codes or their enforcement.

The Safe Building Codes Incentives Act offers an extra 4 percent in federal disaster grants to states that adopt strong building codes, potentially lessening disaster damage.

"My goal is to keep our families and communities safe while saving taxpayers money, which is precisely what this legislation focuses on," Diaz-Balart said in a statement.

Insurance industry representatives lauded the bill as "a major positive step" toward making the U.S. better prepared for natural disasters.

"Building codes help save lives and have proven to be among the most cost-effective ways of preventing property losses," Matt Gannon, assistant vice president of federal affairs for the National Association of Mutual Insurance Companies, said in a statement.

"Mitigation is about spending wisely before the storm so you can spend less recovering from it," Gannon added.

The office of Gov. Robert Bentley did not discuss the bill in detail but expressed support for strict building standards.

Jennifer Ardis, Bentley's press secretary, referenced the tornadoes that devastated central and north Alabama as a potential impetus for heightened standards.

"The governor believes that Alabama building codes deserve serious consideration given the natural disaster that the state just experienced," Ardis said in a statement.

On the federal level, Alabama lawmakers said little about the bill.

"While any effort in Congress to start a conversation about improving public safety is certainly welcome, I have not yet had an opportunity to carefully study the impact of this new legislation on states like Alabama," Rep. Jo Bonner, R-Mobile, said in an e-mail.